 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, I would welcome some advice please, I want to take my grown up son skiing after a 20 year break, he has never skiied before but is quite sporty. Now I have had a bad knee in the past (not due to skiing) it is currently fine and has been for the past few years and I am doing a 30 min run on it 3 x week with no problems. But I want to go for a dry or indoor ski slope lesson to make sure skiing will not cane it too much! Is this a good idea or is the fact that I can run 30 mins with no problems mean that it will be ok. I am a bit concerned about picking up bad habits from the indoor slope as I have been reading about there poor intruction standards on this website, the new place at Hemel seems to get better ratings than the one at Milton Keynes, am I correct in this assumption?
I only had one week on the snow all those years ago and think I was taught incorrectly as I distinctly remember being told to turn my shoulders to initiate the turn, and I don't want to reinforce this on the dry slope. Any advice welcome! As if my knees will stand up to the skiing I would love to book Charlotte of Easiski as recommended on this website and realize she needs to be booked sooner rather than later!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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jo123, Welcome to  's
I can't comment on either of the local indoor slopes as I live at the other end of the country but if Milton Keynes Is anywhere near as badly run and pisted as the Xscape up here then I would think Hemel will be a no brainer.
I returned to skiing 5 years ago after a 14 year gap and was advised in view of the changes in equipment and teaching methods to go back to the very beginning.
It definitely worked for me and at the end of my first week back I was confident on blues and managed a red. Get a reccomnendation on here for an instructor locally and see how you get on.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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jo123, www.insideoutskiing.com - run by a couple of members, and recommended by many on this forum (it's Hemel based).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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jo123, like robboj, I did 1 week at school, then a 14 year break. Came back surprisingly like ridng a bike for me. Had a session with the misses at Tamworth to see if I could still basically stand up on skis - which I could, then went into 2nd weekers lessons in resort (Soldeu) and never looked back.
Good luck and welcome back!!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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jo123, welcome to s and welcome back to skiing. It sounds as though your knee is pretty good - however, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go to an indoor slope and just take a recreational session. Better to take a lesson or two - things have changed a fair bit - and an instructor will get you on the right track. Another endorsement here for insideout - and also for easiski.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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jo123, I think you should definitely visit a snowdome before you go, because then you will have a good idea before you get to the mountains of how your knee will react. You will then have chance to buy any braces/supports etc. that you may need. Hopefully you won't, it sounds like your knee is strong but sometimes a support can add an extra something that may give you more confidence in your knee.
Definitely have a lesson as well, the boys from Hemel do indeed get good write-ups on here but if Hemel isn't convenient for you then just look for an instructor who has a few years experience and is qualified above a basic instructing qualification.
Also, lots has changed in skiing in the last 20 years, namely the shape of the skis and the ways in which we use them. Hopefully your lessons will get rid of your bad habits and make sure you don't pick up any more with the new equipment.
Good luck and enjoy it!
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| jo123 wrote: |
| I was taught incorrectly as I distinctly remember being told to turn my shoulders to initiate the turn, and I don't want to reinforce this on the dry slope. |
Hi
Turning the shoulders to initiate the turn was a method used to instruct people back then. It wasn't incorrect (at the time), it's just different now. I learned to ski in Austria and I still remember the shoulders down the hill whilst traversing being the way to do it (then).
Things move on and (normally) improve.
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| Wayne wrote: |
Hi
Turning the shoulders to initiate the turn was a method used to instruct people back then. It wasn't incorrect (at the time), it's just different now. I learned to ski in Austria and I still remember the shoulders down the hill whilst traversing being the way to do it (then).
Things move on and (normally) improve. |
Wayne I also learnt to ski in Austria and I wasn't clear whether your reference to "shoulders down the hill whilst traversing" was to having some counter rotation so that the upper body is facing down the fall line during the traverse. If so, is this no longer regarded as "correct"?
This is of course a different thing from swinging the shoulders to initiate a turn, which is definitely not the recommended method! 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Alastair Pink, Alastair Pink, woah, don't go opening that can of worms!
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jo123, I taught a guy on Saturday in a similar situation to you and within a couple of hours we was in full control, using the whole dry slope and linking arcs nicely. I'm sure you'll have no problems and it will all come back. Just build up slowly.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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My mum used to have a lovely shoulder swinging technique (I think she thought it looked graceful!), but even back in the 80s she was getting told not to do it by Swiss instructors. I think in those days there was a lot more variation between the techniques of different countries than there is now. For example around the same time Swiss instructors were trying to encourage us to do "closed" parallels, whereas the Austrians wanted the skis further apart.
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david@mediacopy, where do you teach? Telford?
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks everyone for all your advice, I am definitely going to go with the lessons at a snowdome first. Think I am going to give the guys running the course at Hemel a ring and book their course. Would rather have used snozone at milton Keynes for financial reasons as they accept Tesco vouchers! However when I rang them about instructors qualifications, they just said it could be anyone of there qualified instructors running the course, there was no way I could specify that I wanted an experienced instructor.
Are there any good books or dvds someone could recommend which portray the current teaching techniques.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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jo123, jo123, i'd go for the lessons first, reading lots of technical books now might just be confusing!
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Poster: A snowHead
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jo123,
There are few here that are OK http://www.basi.org.uk/shop.aspx
but agree with beanie1 that after 20 years I'd just get back on skis 1st then worry about the other stuff afterwards
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I would recommend using knee supports, as others have. I also have a bad knee and using a knee support has helped minimise any problems
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Jon.L wrote: |
| david@mediacopy, where do you teach? Telford? |
Yep, I was back there on Saturday with Richard and Nigel. I guess your lad goes to Race Training on Tuesdays ? the last time I saw them they were looking handy
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| david@mediacopy wrote: |
| Jon.L wrote: |
| david@mediacopy, where do you teach? Telford? |
Yep, I was back there on Saturday with Richard and Nigel. I guess your lad goes to Race Training on Tuesdays ? the last time I saw them they were looking handy |
We've got one or two pretty useful kids there now. My lad trains with Alan Ashfield (or Richard Breese and Chris Blagden if Alan's away) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
3 y/o daughter had a lesson with Richard W a few weeks ago - she's just about big enough for her own boots now so she'll be back over the coming weeks.....
Next time we're down I'll have to see if you're around!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Jon.L, I'm guessing I'm going to be doing Saturday afternoons, but I'm not too sure at the mo. I'm sometimes go up in an evening for a ski, so it will be good to say Hi. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
I would recommend using knee supports, as others have. I also have a bad knee and using a knee support has helped minimise any problems
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I'm surprised no-ones mentioned physical preparation, If you've had previous knee injury problems, then start a proper ski fitness programme now. Running is great for CV fitness and also conditions the joints to impact, but does not do much for the strength and stability you need to ski well and avoid injury again. You also need good mobility of the key joints, for which balanced flexibility is important. See a decent physio or get advice from a decent gym instructor who understands ski biomechanics - dont just do a few leg extensions and think that will help.
This will be of more help to you than the (generally accepted as being of mainly psychological value) knee suppports
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| Quote: |
123, www.insideoutskiing.com - run by a couple of snowHead members, and recommended by many on this forum (it's Hemel based).
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Thanks Frosty for this recommendation, we had our first session with Rob on sunday! We thoroughly enjoyed it, and best of all not a single twinge from my knee, neither during nor after.
Rob was brilliant, I was quite nervous and he gave me plenty of confidence, plus I was very impressed with the surface at Hemel, much better snow than I had when I had my week's skiing!
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jo123, you're very welcome.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Sorry, just caught this thread and - since the OP seems to have had all questions answered - need to open that can of worms....
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I learned to ski in Austria and I still remember the shoulders down the hill whilst traversing being the way to do it (then).
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I also learned in Austria, and was taught this. I was also told to extend the uphill arm out in front to assist in 'forcing' the shoulders downhill.
Is it wrong? I am pooh at traversing - particularly through deep snow or on a steep slope.
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